The Start of a Joke
by Gemstar24
Summary: The Joker and Harley's baby is born and Harley struggles to show him that she is just as devoted as ever to him. Bane's new reign in Gotham is threatening The Joker's reputation, but with the assistance of an old friend he may regain his throne. Nolanverse. Part 8 in the Reflection Series.
1. chapter 1

**Welcome to part 8 of the Reflection Series! As always, I encourage you to read the previous stories first. Thank you so much for the comments and messages I have received so far, they mean so much to me. Please enjoy!**

 _... Day 21 of chaos ensues after the mass attack on Arkham Asylum in Gotham. Approximately 35 criminals have been unleashed on the streets. The GCPD urge commuters and visitors from outside the city to proceed with caution..._

"Please turn it off, Hope. I can't stand listenin' to it anymore.", Harley begged her sister. Hope clicked the TV off and tossed the remote on the bed. Harley sighed as she sat in the birthing tub in Hope's bedroom letting the water flow through her fingers as she moved her hands back and forth. Doctor White sat in a cushioned chair nearby and made scribbles on her clipboard and looked up every so often encouragingly. The contractions started last night just after she had gone to bed. She had been staying with Hope all week in Brooklyn as her due date was yesterday. She thought it would be much easier if she stayed with Hope in case she went into labor rather than having it happen in Gotham, basically alone. They had no idea how The Joker would handle the whole ordeal if it started while she was with him.

Speaking of The Joker, he was near impossible to live with right now anyway. Since the incident at Arkham, he was a ticking time bomb, exploding at the smallest annoyances. Without the use of his legs he was reliant on the help of others which was something he despised. The first day after that terrible night he had been sweet to Harley, sweeter than he had been since she got pregnant. Maybe he was in shock or maybe he realized how close he had gotten to being killed, but he held on to her as though his life depended on it. He had kissed her, held her, and whispered sweet things in her ear, that he loved her. However, the next day he seemed withdrawn and was lost in thought. He kept trying to get out of bed, but he was so weak from the nerve damage, he couldn't stand or walk without assistance. Felix, his most loyal henchman, had to stay with them and help him go to and from the bathroom, get dressed, and go up and down the stairs. He punched the wall at one point and mumbled and cursed to himself. The doctor said it would take months before he would have his strength back and that he would have to do therapeutic exercises every day. Harley helped him as much as she could or as much as he allowed, but he would get frustrated at her and yell at her to leave. She figured it was a blow to his ego, but honestly, she enjoyed helping him for a change. Something about seeing him so vulnerable made her feel special, like he needed her. It also scared her, because The Joker should never be vulnerable. The Joker is god. He wouldn't tell her exactly what happened that night. She was concerned to leave him in his current state, but he reluctantly agreed to let her go. He ordered that she had to return as soon as possible after the baby was born.

Another painful contraction strained her muscles and she moaned and gripped the sides of the tub. A water birth wasn't her idea. Hope said it would be calming and that it would help with the pain since she couldn't have an epidural during a home birth. Hope ordered the big inflatable tub and filled it with a hose. It even had a small heater attached to keep the water warm. The contractions were getting closer and closer together and after eight hours of labor with little sleep, Harley was ready to pass out. Hope kneeled by her and held her hands. Harley was completely naked in the tub and she noticed her sister's eyes sweeping over her body when she thought she wasn't looking and taking in every single mark The Joker gave her over the past two-and-a-half years. There was barely any space that remained blank aside from her face which was only graced with a Glasgow smile. Harley leaned forward folding her arms along the tub and resting her head as she pushed through another contraction. Then she started to feel the new sensation. "Um, I think I need to push.", she said nervously.

"Really? Okay, Harl!", Hope said excitedly as she clapped her hands.

Instinct kicked in and it was like she was having an out of body experience. It hurt like nothing she'd ever experienced before, but she stayed focused. Her mind focused on Him. Things were finally going to go back to normal. She would have her Puddin' back now. She heard Hope yelling for Matthew to come in, that the baby was almost here. It felt like hours had passed as she got lost in the process. The doctor watched with a mirror in the water and Harley was encouraged when she said she could see the baby's head. After a few more pushes, the precious girl was out and Harley cradled her in her arms. After a moment of silence, she cried and Harley cried too. She held her against her breasts and leaned back into the water. Matthew wrapped his arm around Hope and they both just watched in gladness and in sadness.

She held the baby girl as long as she could. The baby attempted to suckle and nurse and Harley looked to Hope as though asking for permission. "Go ahead, Harleen. She needs you right now." Sweet Hannah Joy and Harley stared into each other's eyes as she nursed for the first and probably the only time. It was the most intimate moment she had ever experienced and she would never forget it. Harley cooed and encouraged the blonde beauty. Although she was puffy, it was obvious she looked just like the twin sisters. Her hair was a light blonde, eyes were the same blue, but Harley could tell from her small involuntary facial expressions that she had her father's smile.

Hope took a picture on her phone. "I know I shouldn't. But I would rather have one of the two of you together and regret it later than never have one and regret not taking it.", she shrugged. The all remembered The Joker's demands that after the baby was born, Harley was to have no contact and the baby would never know who her true parents were. Hope knew she was taking a risk by documenting the moment.

After a couple of hours Harley handed Hannah off to her new parents as the doctor assisted in cleaning her up and getting her back into comfortable clothes. After a few final checks, she left and the three of them remained gazing at the sweet new life. Hope helped Harley into bed where she crashed into a deep sleep for the next several hours.

She woke up in Hope's bed in the early morning hours. She looked at her phone to see that The Joker texted her during the night. "When are you coming home?" She didn't know how he always seemed to know everything, but it didn't surprise her anymore. She texted back, "Soon. I'll ask Matthew to take me home when they wake up."

She slowly got up, feeling sore and took a long shower and cleaned up the constant bleeding she would experience for the next few weeks. She went downstairs to find Hope sitting in the recliner quietly talking to Hannah and feeding her a bottle. The baby was wearing a pale pink sleeper with a bunny appliqué over her heart.

Harley leaned down and kissed the baby's head. "Why does she smell so good?", she asked with a smile.

"I love the smell of new babies.", Hope whispered. "But this baby smells extra nice.", she giggled.

After drinking some coffee and having more Hannah time, Harley received a threatening text from J telling her to get home. She sighed and looked to Hope. "I gotta go." She handed the baby girl back and looked at her one last time after kissing her soft forehead and her tiny fingers. "Thank you.", she said to Hope. "You'll never know how much this means to me. To know that she is safe with you is a weight off my shoulders. Maybe one day he will let us talk again. But I will miss you." They hugged and held back tears. Hope kissed her scarred cheek and assured her that she would always have a safe haven with them if she needed. There was so much more to be said, but Harley had to leave.

The duplex they had been staying in for months had been quiet all week without his Harlequin. She could never stay quiet for long. Either she was singing, talking to herself, or baby talking to her one remaining hyena, Bud. Her voice always had the same effect on him. It grated on his nerves because it distracted him. But when it was gone, he missed it. That awful Brooklyn accent made her sound like such an idiot, but she wasn't. She was naive and immature, but she wasn't dumb. She understood him and his ideas. His Ha-ha-Harley was one of a kind.

Although normality had begun to seep back into their relationship, things still weren't quite the same as they had been. He had been playing a dangerous game with her these past nine months. He pushed her hard, making her doubt his feelings for her. She could have given up and left him, but he had to put her through this trial to test her devotion and make her see what life would be like if she ever tried to make that fateful decision to leave him for good. Not that she would last long. If she ever did chose to truly leave him, he wouldn't hesitate to kill her. The only hard part would be deciding how to do it. He'd imagined the ways so many times whether it be with a blade or bullet, starvation or drowning her with Drano, feeding her to piranhas or forcing her to eat her own teeth. He started to feel a stirring inside during these thoughts when he heard the car pull up and a car door close. She was home.

He heard the hyena excitedly greet her as she walked through the front door. He swiveled around in his chair to face the bedroom door. Her pace up the stairs to their bedroom was slow. She hesitated outside the door and he smirked to himself. She was deciding if she should knock or risk barging in. A small sigh escaped her mouth and she rapped lightly on the door.

"Yeah."

"Can I come in?"

"Yeeeeessssss.", he drawled.

The doorknob turned and Harley chewed the inside on her scarred cheek as she made eye contact with him. The silence was palpable as the couple stared at one another. She looked exhausted. He eyed her from head to toe. She wore baggy sweatpants and a black oversized souvenir t-shirt from Las Vegas. Her stomach was considerably smaller, but still looked quite swollen.

"Can I lay down, please?", she asked timidly.

He gestured to the bed in a sarcastic manner. She looked down and toed off her Converse low tops before hitching the small overnight bag further up on her shoulder. She made a trip to the attached bathroom first where she spent a considerable amount of time. When she came back out she shuffled over to the bed and carefully crawled in, sighing when her head hit the pillow. He continued to watch her.

"Everything... _okay_ then?", he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harley yawned and nodded. "I just need to rest." Her heavy eyes watched him before they started to roll back in her head and before long she was breathing heavily. He stood shakily from the chair and grabbed a cane he had been using to amble around. He was slow, but determined to get well as quickly as possible. He shuffled to the bed and drew the faded purple comforter over her small, tired body. He leaned down and breathed in her scent. She always smelled sweet like vanilla. Bud was soon pawing at the door and he pushed it open before jaunting into the room and curling up on the floor next to Harley.


	2. Chapter 2

_...Day 23 after the siege in Gotham where dozens of inmates escaped from Arkham Asylum. Still no sign of Batman and the citizens are in full panic. As the GCPD attempt to reign in the mass chaos, a masked terrorist who goes by Bane has made a threat on the city's wealthiest citizens..._

TheJoker watched the news as updates were aired hourly after that first night. He was angry with himself for not seeing this coming. He was always at least two steps ahead of, well, everyone. He had been distracted. _She_ always distracted him. He _hated_ her. So why did he always bind himself tighter to her? He owned every part of her and she gave herself freely to him and he was greedy.

The moment he laid eyes on her at Arkham he knew she belonged to him. Who did she think she was wearing that tight pencil skirt and that purple silk blouse that had one too many buttons undone? She wore a silver cross necklace that dangled between her breasts. It was a gift from her confirmation he had later learned. She chewed the end of her pen during their first session and he had forgotten how to speak as he watched the black cap sit on her cushiony bottom lip. She immediately got lost in his gospel of chaos and asked him questions that in no way pertained to his so called recovery. She didn't care about his age or if his father abused him, no, she wanted to know more about how he obtained his pyrotechnic knowledge and how he was able to pull off his masterful plans, although he would never tell her _that_ much. She eyed his scars unabashedly, but never seemed disgusted, only intrigued.

It didn't take long for him to figure her out. Her father left when she was a baby and she didn't remember him at all. She was jealous of the other little girls who got to attend those daddy-daughter dances in elementary school. Everywhere she looked, fathers were doting on their little girls, buying them presents, calling them "princess". He used this to his advantage, immediately taking up a "daddy" role with her. He made her feel protected even from inside the asylum by standing up for her when others said crude things about her or spread rumors. He called her "pumpkin" and "sweetheart". He made sure she knew he was the boss by issuing a spanking over his knee when she didn't listen to him. She called him "Mister Joker" then. She was hiding her accent at the time, but it would slip out every once in a while, more and more as she became comfortable with him. It took two months of him manipulating her before she went from calling him "Mister Joker" to calling him "Daddy" as he took her on the chaise lounge in her office. She made it so easy with all her needs and desires and he was eager to fulfill them all. At some point he realized he was no longer manipulating her because he actually meant the things he was saying. He wanted her to be his parter, he wanted to protect her, he wanted her to run away with him. It only took one more month for her to agree to help him escape using her asylum credentials. He could have done it without her, but this was the final test before she could truly belong to him. It would prove she was fully corrupted. Their last several sessions were documented with made up information because they barely spoke during any of them.

Once they had escaped and she started living his life with him he began to show her more of his true side. His mood fluctuated like the weather. His anger was shown through physical means. He remembered vividly the first time he hit her, truly hit her, not a playful spank, but a punch to the jaw. She had the audacity to ask him about a job he had just gotten back from. It hadn't gone well, she found that out quick. However, much to his surprise, she apologized to him. _Oh, this is too good,_ he thought. So from there he took advantage of her submissiveness. Who knew she would be the perfect little masochist to his sadist? She began to enjoy the pain as much as he enjoyed inflicting it. He opened a new world to her with each slash of his knife and she reveled in it. She had become Harley Quinn. _His_ Harley Quinn. _Ha-ha-Harley._ His best joke of all.

A timid Harley came down the stairs to see The Joker sitting in the living room with the TV on. She was surprised at the progress he made since she last saw him a week ago before going to Hope's house. She wondered if he had been able to go down the stairs himself. He was muttering to himself and cursed Bane as the news story continued.

"Can I getcha anything... Daddy?", she asked.

He sighed and turned off the TV before his eyes swept her direction. He cracked his neck, the snap echoing off the bare living room walls. "I want you to, uh, come here.", he said I'm a low voice as he crooked his finger toward her. His eyes narrowed as she moved closer and her stomach felt tight. She came and sat next to him. "Closer", he said as he patted his lap. She sucked her bottom lip and was hesitant before she obeyed and propped herself on his lap.

"Shh, shh, shh", he cooed as he patted her head and held it tightly to his chest. "Don't cry, Harley Baby."

"But, I'm not cryin', Mista J.", she said confusedly as her eyes shifted back and forth.

"Oh, but you're gonna be.", he said with a sneer.

She gasped and tried to sit up quickly, but his arms were wrapped around her, one around her neck and the other cradling her jaw and they both tightened as she attempted to escape. She tried to push away from him with her hands against his chest to no avail.

" _Sweetheart_ , everything can go back to the way it was _before_ as long as you tell me one thing." She continued to squirm in his tight embrace. "Stop i _t_.", he growled, popping the t and her body immediately went limp. "Tell me about the lesson you learned these last nine months, hmm?", he raised an eyebrow as he lifted her chin to look in her eyes, still pressing her tight to his chest.

It was hard to form words with the grip on her jaw, but she managed to take a deep breath before she spoke. She knew the wrong answer would land her in a world of pain and all she wanted to feel right then was his affection again.

She reached a hand up to play with a green curl that fell just behind his ear. "I- I got a taste of what my life would be like if you weren't around." Her voice shook and her cheeks flushed with humiliation.

His hand moved from her jaw to wrap around her slender neck. He positioned her so that she was leaning back from him and he gave her an open palmed smack on the cheek. "Mhmm, and what was that like?"

She flinched and her eyes watered. She swallowed thickly before she spoke. "Desolate." Her palm rested against the side of his neck and she could feel his steady pulse. "I thought I had lost you. That you were done with me. I was worried you'd never look at me the same way again, Mista J." The tears spilled out of her eyes as she closed her lids and sniffed.

A smile teased his lips and he gave her another harsh smack and she whimpered. "Who owns you, Harley?" He glowered at her with all the disappointment in the world reflecting from his face.

"You do.", she whispered as she locked eyes with his intensely.

Another deliberate smack and this time she shrieked. "Will you ever put anything ahead of me again? Hmm?"

Her voice was shaking, "Never."

"Good.", he said as he released her.

She scrambled up to sit on her heels on the couch cushion next to him as she quickly wiped her tears away. He sat back into the corner of the couch to get a better look at her. She tucked a golden strand of hair behind her ear and looked down awkwardly under his stare. Her face was a lovely shade of red on the right cheek as the outline of his hand slowly became visible, a spot of blood forming where his wedding ring impacted. A sadistic grin spread over his unpainted face.

"Haaaaaaarley.", he drawled. She met his gaze. "Daddy missed his Harley Girl." He raised an eyebrow at her.

She scooted toward him on her knees and gave a shy smile. He pulled her back on his lap, but this time in a gentle embrace. He brushed his thumb across the scar on her right cheek and she mimed the same motion on his. He cradled her in his arm and leaned in to give her a deep kiss. His hand moved up and down her side as they continued kiss after kiss. He laid her down on the couch and as he moved above her and kissed her neck there was a knock at the front door. He ignored it initially and continued nipping at her leaving a trail of red marks along her soft flesh, but the knock came again. He grumbled and yelled, "What?!" at the front door that was several feet away.

The door opened and a henchman, Mo or something or other, let himself in and suddenly became red in the face as he realized what he had walked in on. "Oh! Sorry, boss, I, uh, didn't know you had company." The Joker sat up and straightened his clothing out as Harley rolled her eyes and pulled her shirt down. It always irritated her when the newer goons didn't realize he was married.

The Joker lifted an open palm toward the man and gave a nod, "You must have a good reason to, uh, _interrupt_ so get on with it." He lit a cigarette, still obviously trying to come down from the fevered moment with his wife. Harley crossed her arms and glared at the man.

"Well, we, were visiting that arms dealer, like you told us to, right? And, well, I guess he, the dealer, was really in deep with the mob because some gangsters came in threatening him and shootin' the place up."

The Joker was looking bored with this conversation as he took another drag. He gestured with his hand for Mo (or whatever his name was) to speed it up.

"Felix is dead!", he finally spit out.

Typically The Joker wouldn't have cared less if a henchman died, but Felix had been trustworthy and had been loyal for a long time, as far as henchmen go. The Joker knitted his eyebrows and extinguished the cigarette. Harley looked to him with an anxious expression.

"Did you catch the name of who it was that killed him?"

Mo shrugged, "They was callin' him Frosty."

 _Frosty_ , the name chimed in the back of The Joker's memories. The Joker squinted and leaned forward, "Frost? Jonny Frost?"

"Yeah, uh, maybe boss."

"Find him and bring him to me." The Joker leaned forward and a smile spread across his face.


	3. Chapter 3

That evening, Harley was standing at the kitchen sink as she rinsed the dishes from her and The Joker's dinner. It was the first time they sat down together to have a meal in the longest time. It seemed her punishment was over for putting the baby ahead of him and that things would be getting back to normal soon. She should have felt elated to have her Puddin' back, so why did she feel like a part of her was missing?

She had been absentmindedly scrubbing the sauce pan for several minutes and the water was getting cold. She turned off the tap and stared into the darkening backyard through the small window over he sink. The sky was streaked with pink and orange. She began to wonder how Hope was doing with Hannah. Was Hannah a good sleeper? Did she cry a lot? Did she realize that Harley was gone? She tried not to allow herself to think of the baby, but sometimes she couldn't help it. She wondered if J thought about her at all. It felt strange having such an intimate connection with him and he not having any interest. He didn't even know the baby was a girl or what her name is. She wondered how he could not be feeling the same pain she was with losing their one and only child. Her lip began to tremble and a tear streaked down her cheek. She hoped she made the right decision as she assured herself that this was not the right place to raise a child.

She heard The Joker's ambling gait walking down the hall toward her. He was using his cane, of course. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her small waist and rested his chin on the top of her head. "Harley, I was a good boy and ate all my dinner. Now I'm ready for dessert.", he said as he nuzzled her neck and nipped at her ear. She smiled and turned the water back on to rinse off a few more dishes.

"There's some Oreos in the cupboard, Mista J."

He growled playfully and said, "That's not what I mean _t_." He started kissing her shoulder and his hands moved toward her stomach which was still quite doughy from pregnancy.

She quickly spun around and rested her hands on his chest. "I'm sorry, Daddy, but I'm still healing. I'll need to take a raincheck.", she said as she winked at him.

"How long?", he grumbled.

"Oh, about another... five weeks.", she said nervously.

After a heavy moment of glaring into her blue eyes, he scrunched his eyebrows at her and reached over to the cabinet above her head, pulling out the package of Oreos. Without taking his eyes off of her, he opened it up and shoved a chocolate cookie in his mouth and chewed noisily.

Her expression of anxiousness dissolved as she tried to hold back a chuckle.

He came to bed hours after Harley fell asleep that night. He could see that she decided to wear a barely there pink neglige which frustrated him to no end. He should wake her up and punish her for being a tease, but if he was honest with himself he would have been just as turned on if she was wearing a potato sack at this point. She snuggled closer to him in her sleep and hoisted a leg over his hips. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

His hand rested on her intruding thigh and his thumb rubbed against one of the many marks he'd left since the start of their relationship. The one he grazed felt like it said "MINE" if he ventured to guess. The pregnancy left its own mark on her body. He noticed especially that night when his hands had rested on her stomach that she was currently far from the toned Harley he last touched all those months ago. Her shape felt a little different, maybe a tad wider, although he wasn't one to complain about a curvy woman. He noticed more often that she had a distant look in her eyes and he assumed she was daydreaming, as she was prone to do during the most inappropriate times, but her face appeared sadder than it had before. These thoughts inevitably led him to thoughts of the child he would never know. He couldn't get himself to muster much of a feeling either way about it. He didn't feel sad nor did he feel any sort of paternal instinct. He really couldn't even muster much interest in the gender or appearance. He reminded himself to get another vasectomy as soon as possible before his eyelids fluttered shut as he drifted off to sleep to the sound of Harley's light snores.

The next morning Harley awoke to loud sounds from downstairs and men talking and laughing or swearing. She rubbed her eyes and saw that she was in bed alone and that it was after eleven o' clock in the morning. She got out of bed and slipped on her pink silk robe and bunny slippers before quietly going downstairs. Several henchmen were throwing what few items were in the house, mostly guns and ammo, into crates and boxes. Then she saw The Joker sitting at a kitchen chair smoking and drinking coffee as he watched the men heaving the boxes out to idling vans.

"J? What's going on?", she asked as she approached him.

He pointed a finger at her as he spoke. "You need to go pack up your stuff. We're moving."

"What? Why?" Harley loved the duplex and the privacy it granted her from the henchmen. She dreaded going back to a warehouse situation. She hated when she was the last to know about their plans. She didn't know if he thought he mentioned it or if he just liked to keep her in the dark. She figured it was the latter.

"We've been here too long.", he shrugged. "Can't stay in once place forever, babydoll." He was so nonchalant about it.

"Where are we going?", she said as she scrunched her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

"Ah ah ah, _Harley_. You better change that attitude right now, little girl. I secured us a nice place and you'll be _thrilled_ to live there because you will have a roof over your head, got _it_?"

She knew that the conversation was over and if she wanted to avoid a nice black eye she should shut up. He gestured with a shooing motion and clicked his tongue telling her to go pack. She pursed her lips and grabbed a couple of boxes on her way upstairs.

They arrived at he new hideout that evening. Much to Harley's distaste it was an old firehouse that had obviously been abandoned some time ago. They were still in the Narrows, of course, and the block they were on was all but a ghost town minus the one redeeming quality, a Chinese restaurant on the corner that still seemed to be open.

Harley stepped out of the van and sighed as The Joker rested his arm on her shoulder and smirked at her. She walked inside to peruse their new home. They would house the vans and spare cars in the large garage that once housed the fire trucks. The ammo and guns, etc. would be stored downstairs in the various offices. Upstairs there was a large sleeping quarters where the men would all stay. The kitchen was generous. The Joker and Harley claimed the bedroom that the Chief would have stayed in. There were only two bathrooms, a men's and a women's. Harley decided she would claim the women's to herself like she did when they all stayed in the old theater.

Henchmen were scurrying around like ants as they unloaded and unpacked. There were a few new faces. They must have had about a dozen men working for them now. She had been separated from all of them for so long, it would take a while to fall back into a routine. The Joker allowed her authority over his men to some extent and he expected them to respect her or she had permission to injure or kill them as she pleased. She took him up on that from time to time. Pretty much the only people she had ever actually killed were his men.

A voice downstairs stood out to her. It was higher pitched than she was used to. Was that a giggle? Curiosity got the best of her and she stopped hanging up J's suits in their closet to go take a peek. The voice was more distinctive as she made it down the bottom of the stairs. It belonged to a woman. She peeked around the corner and there _she_ was working alongside the men bringing in box after box. She was a little taller than Harley and a bit curvier. Her skin had an almost olive complexion. Her hair was dark and wavy with streaks of violet. She wore a tight black tank top, tight leather pants, and combat boots.

Harley grabbed the sleeve of one of the guys passing by. "Hey! Who's that?", she asked.

The guy looked over, "Oh, the boss hired her with the last batch." He shrugged. "Her name's Amber." He walked away and continued his task.

The Joker was barking orders about where things should be placed. He was leaning on his cane and obviously getting impatient with the way things were being handled. Harley walked over to his side and watched as the operation played out, but kept her eyes on the woman. She seemed to fit in with the guys. She was strong as she lifted heavy weaponry and her arms flexed with each heave. She smiled a lot. Harley looked up at The Joker and when he felt her gaze he glanced down at her for a second before lifting his eyes again. "What?", he asked irritatedly.

"Nothin' Mista J."

He sighed. "Listen, sometimes we need a woman's touch on a job. It's not something that I was ever interested in pursuing before, but she comes with good references and she can handle herself. She specialized in going undercover. We need her. What I don't _need_ is for you to get jealous. You can't touch this one, Harl. Understand me?"

Harley felt the pang of jealousy rise to a full blown rage. Her face felt hot as soon as he said he needed her. "Fine.", she said as she turned and stormed back up the stairs to their bedroom.

Later, after everything had been brought in downstairs, Harley's stomach began to growl. She heard some talk about pizza so she meandered into the kitchen which opened up to a large common area where the guys were sitting around the TV watching an old western and joking around. J was leaning against the wall in the hallway on his phone. Harley opened a pizza box and was surprised to see any left. She looked over to The Joker and raised a plate to get his attention with an expression as to ask if he wanted a slice. He shook his head and turned to the side. She hopped up to sit on the counter and ate her slice.

Amber walked out and started pilfering through the boxes to find herself another slice. Harley eyed her carefully. Amber was obviously avoiding eye contact. Finally she sat her paper plate down and wiped her greasy hand on her shirt across her stomach and she turned to Harley.

"I'm sorry, I'm Amber.", she said with a big grin as she extended her hand to Harley.

"Why are you sorry?", Harley asked.

"For not introducing myself earlier. I think I'm a little intimidated by you.", she giggled nervously. "I've heard a lot about you. It must take a pretty strong woman to put up with that guy.", she said as she nodded her head toward The Joker who was still on the phone and getting more animated by the moment.

"What do you mean?" Harley figured she meant that he was abusive. Everyone saw her as the poor battered wife that was stuck in a blood contract with the devil, but she wanted to hear exactly what Amber thought.

"Well I just mean it must be hard to keep up with someone like him. He's so brilliant and so, what's the word, destructive? Yeah, I mean his work is so... masterful." As she spoke she had a far off look in her eyes as though she was speaking about God himself.

Harley sucked on the inside on her scarred cheek as she thought about Amber's words. Obviously Amber didn't realize that Harley didn't really have to keep up with The Joker because she didn't work with The Joker. She was more or less... a housewife.

"Well,-", Harley started when she was cut off by Amber.

"I mean, not to sound like a groupie or anything, but I have idolized that man since he came on the scene. I've been trying to get into his pants for months!"

Harley about choked and opened her eyes wide.

"Oh! Sorry, it's just a figure of speech!", Amber chuckled. "Honestly, I know he's your boyfriend.", she said as she patted Harley's arm.

Harley slid off the counter to stand and she held up a finger as she spoke. "First of all, The Joker is my _husband_ , not my boyfriend. Second of all, I suggest you watch your 'figures of speech'. One wrong word will get your head blown off around here. Third of all, you have a _job_ to do. You are not here to be buddies with him and you are not going to learn all his secrets."

Amber put up her palms defensively. "Hey, hey, I'm not trying to start anything, I promise! Sometimes I talk to much." She shrugged.

Harley snorted and went to walk away.

Amber put her hand on Harley's shoulder. "I'm sorry, really. I want to be on good terms with you. Please."

"I don't get attached to henchmen, or henchwomen I guess. You all don't usually last long." With that Harley walked back to the bedroom, running her hand across The Joker's back as she passed him.

After midnight, Harley was stirred awake as The Joker settled into bed next to her. He seemed tense. She was usually able to read the air around him to determine his mood. It was an important skill to have when living with someone like him. She reached out and rested her hand on his bare chest and he snatched it, holding it in an almost bone cracking grip. He was deciding to let it stay or cast it aside. Then he laid her palm over his beating heart and smoothed out her fingers. She felt relieved.

"What's up, Puddin'?", she said with a groggy voice.

"Go to sleep. I don't wanna talk about it.", he said flatly.

She knew she should turn over and go back to sleep, but she continued to press anyway. "Come on, Daddy. Tell your Harley-girl whatsa matter."

She heard a growl come from his throat. She propped herself up on her elbow and leaned closer, resting her lips against the corner of his mouth then she dragged her tongue over the knotted canal of his scarred cheek. That always drove him crazy. His paint was worn, but she could still taste it.

"Don't be a _tease_ , Harley.", he said all the while still not looking at her. She brought soft kisses from the end of the scar to his neck where she stayed nipping and kissing. His arm wrapped around her and he grabbed a fistful of her hair as he pulled her head away. "What happened to five more weeks? Huh?"

"Five weeks for me, Puddin', not for you." She winked at him. "Now just relax and tell me what's wrong." She hoisted herself to straddle him and continued kissing the other side of his neck.

Why did she always make him so weak? He hated it. He kept a tight grip on her hair. Fine. She wanted to know what was wrong, he'd tell her.

"The boys are idiots who can't do a single thing right. I ask them to find someone for me and they can't do it. Felix could have done it."

"So what's the plan?", she whispered in his ear before continuing to ravage his neck.

"I haven't decided yet. Once Eddie gets back with me, I'll make a plan."

 _He must have Eddie Nigma digging up the dirt on Jonny Frost,_ she thought to herself.

"I'll probably have Amber track him down from there. Use her _womanly_ charms to convince him to meet with me."

 _Oh of course he remembers_ her _name. He can't remember the names of any other employees, but Amber he remembers._ Her bruising kisses slowed in their pace and he noticed.

"Har-ley", he grumbled.

She resumed her pace as she tried to push the image of the woman who was sleeping right across the hall out of her head.

She sat up and looked him in he eyes. "There. Dontcha feel better now?" She smirked.

He narrowed his eyes at her before grabbing her hair and shoving her below the sheets.


	4. Chapter 4

When she woke up he was gone, well not physically gone, he was working at his desk in the corner of the dimly lit room and was lost in his own mind. He muttered incoherently to himself as he drew erratically over schematics of something she couldn't recognize. This gave Harley time to think. The house was fairly quiet so the men were either still asleep or already out and about for the day.

She rolled over in bed to face the wall and chewed the inside of her scarred cheek as she thought about Amber. _Amber_ was going to be the one to help J track down Jonny. _Amber_ was going to be the one to give him what he wanted. It all didn't sit well. Harley never had a reason to be jealous of another woman. Any time she saw him make contact with another woman it was because she was a hostage and they typically were terrified of him. He wasn't attractive in a traditional sense, _that_ she understood, but to her, his scars gave him more character. She had seen the picture of him from his first wedding where his face was flawless and he just didn't look _right_. However, Amber seemed to idolize him regardless and she wouldn't be surprised if Amber tried to get into his pants literally. Harley ground her teeth together. This was all too much. She needed an escape. With her long semi-separation from J, losing Hannah and her sister, and now this hussy in the house, Harley felt overwhelmed. She threw the covers off her body onto the floor as she rolled out of bed and stomped out of the bedroom. She was wearing only a pair of black panties and a matching tank top and what few men were hanging out in the living area froze when she walked in. Not sure where they should be looking, their gazes shot to all corners of the room.

With a heavy sigh and a cocked head she asked, "Any of you fine fellas got some blow?" A sickeningly sweet smile grew across her face as she twirled a ratty blonde pigtail around her fingers.

One of the nameless men that she hadn't had the pleasure of meeting yet nervously spoke after an awkward silence. He still wasn't looking quite at her, but rather at the space above her head. "I may have some, um, uh, Ms Quinn."

"Hand it over wouldya?", she said in a more demanding tone as she crossed her arms and shifted her hips.

He left for the shared bedroom and came back a moment later with a small clear baggie. "Do you want me to-" She cut him off and snatched the bag from his hands and sauntered off to her bathroom. He was left looking disappointed that she took his entire stash. She peeked into the bedroom and saw that The Joker was still preoccupied as he ran his hands through his tangled green curls and smoke from his cigarette was hovering in the space above him. The only word she understood that wasn't an expletive was _Bane._ She quietly let herself into the bathroom across the way.

She sat on the long tiled counter with her knees drawn up as she drew two lines on a small mirror in her palm. As she snorted up the white powder with a flimsy dollar bill that was scrunched in the bottom of her makeup bag, her head rolled back against the wall and she closed her eyes.

 _"Stupid Amber with her stupid meddling. Why did J need her anyway? What could she do that I couldn't? I could find Jonny in a minute. I'm a woman. I have charms."_ , Harley thought to herself just as her high was settling in. Just then Harley sat up with an epiphany. _"Why can't I find Jonny? J doesn't need that whore to work for him. He has me and I have his best interests in mind. I'll find Jonny first. I'll prove to him that I'm capable of more than ironing his shirts."_

As she started putting a plan together in her mind, Amber strolled in and looked a bit surprised to see Harley with eyes dilated, sitting on the counter surrounded by drug paraphernalia. She slowly walked to the mirror and started fixing her makeup. It dawned on Harley that this was no longer her own private bathroom now that another woman was in he house and she made a scoffing sound.

"The boss okay with you doing that stuff?", she asked Harley.

"Why don't you mind your own business, honey?", Harley quipped back.

Amber eyed Harley's maimed body and had a million questions, but thought better than to ask any of them. She turned back to the mirror to complete her flawless cat eye.

Harley leaned forward and wound a violet strand of Amber's hair around her finger. Amber glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "Um-"

"Do you have any hair dye I could use?", Harley asked with great interest sweeping over her features.

"Oh, uh, sure, I think so." She pulled a toiletry bag out from under the sink that she stored her personal items in and found two sample boxes of black and red. "Looks like these are the only colors I have right now."

Harley snatched them from Amber's hands. "Perfect!" She grinned.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Harleeeey!" The Joker's voice echoed throughout the hideout. It wasn't an angry tone, but unless you knew his manner of speaking, you'd think it was.

Harley popped into the bedroom. "Hey, Mista J!", she rhymed. He swiveled in his chair. His mouth hung agape as his eyes fixated on her hair. "Don'tcha you love it?" She giggled and bounced on the balls of her feet.

Her hair was parted into her usual messy high pigtails, but one side of her head was dyed completely black and the other side red. She gave herself bangs that swooped across her forehead. It was all very choppy and maybe a little lopsided.

"What, uh, did you do, _pumpkin_?", he said through clenched teeth as his eyes narrowed angrily.

"I thought it was time for a change." She beamed innocently up to him and she shook her head side to side. He walked toward her, cane in hand.

His free hand lunged for her throat and she let out a choked gasp. "Who, uh, told you you could change your appearance?" He eyed the pigtails with disgust.

She switched from perky to annoyed as she replied, "Well, no one, Mista J. I thought you'd like it. Now I really look like your Harlequin.", she struggled to say through his tight grip.

His cane shot out and knocked her legs out from under her as he pushed her down on the floor. "You don't get to make decisions like that, lit-tle girl. You're forgetting whose _property_ this is." With those words he gave her side a solid whack with the cane. She yelped and curled up on her side.

"Thought you changed you preferences, that's all. Why else would you go and hire whatshername? You're into dark haired chicks now.", she cried to him.

He didn't hesitate to pounce on her and after a backhand to the face and a threat for her to change it back, she shook her head in defiance.

"No? _No_?", he mocked. He grabbed her face and slammed her head against the floor making her vision go blurry and dark as she let out a breathy grunt. They attracted a small audience of goons including Amber who were watching from afar. Some had looks of pity and others shock. Amber went to step forward, but the man next to her grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

Harley spit a mouthful of blood onto The Joker's face. He grabbed her newly dyed pigtails and bared his yellow teeth to her face, "You should _probably_ leave right now before I do something I should've done a long time ago. Get. Out. Of. My. Sight." His voice was low and measured. He struggled to get back to his feet with the help of his cane, but once he did he stepped over her beaten body and walked down the stairs to be alone.

The small audience disbanded, but Amber ran over to Harley to help her up. "Are you okay?", she asked frantically. "If I would've known this could happen, I would've never given you that hair dye!"

Harley's face went from a pained expression to a chuckle with her bloodstained teeth fully displayed. "Just a lovers quarrel.", she said dismissively. She spat the remaining blood from her mouth on the floor next to Amber's shoes. "I'm just going to spend a couple of days with my friend and my Puddin' will be beggin' me to come home. He _always_ does." She got to her feet and shakily walked to their closet where she pulled out some clothing and shoved them in her overnight bag. Her nightstand had some cash that she hoarded for times like these. Her pistol was lovingly folded into some clothes and placed in the bag. Amber watched in confusion.

As Harley shimmied herself into some dark skinny jeans and an oversized navy sweater, Amber asked, "Does this happen often?"

"Ha! I'd be concerned if it didn't! J is _very_ passionate. It just shows how much he loves me.", she said with her hands clasped over her heart. She turned back to her bag scowling and rolling her eyes. "It takes a very special kinda woman to be with The Joker. Remember that.", she said to Amber over her shoulder. With blood dried on her face and a threatening glare, Harley leaned in close so their noses were almost touching. "Now listen, _Mommy_ is going to be gone for a few days and I'm going to trust that you keep your hands off of what doesn't belong to you. Got it?" Amber nodded. "Uh, uh, of course Harley. Who do you think I am?", Amber replied nervously as her eyes traced Harley's mutilated smile. Harley gave Amber a gentle slap on the cheek before she walked off with a wink and blew a kiss.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

Normally Harley would've taken the bus to see Ivy, but she had work to do over the next couple of days and that would require an actual car. She set out in the old white Grand Prix that sat lonely among the many stolen cars at their disposal. She tried to remember the last time she drove a car. It had to have been before she ran away with The Joker. If he wasn't around and she needed to go anywhere, one of his men took her or she took the bus. Her driver's license was long lost so she drove carefully to avoid any special attention from the cops. That was the last thing she needed. She arrived at Ivy's apartment complex and much to Harley's disappointment, parallel parking was not a skill one retained like riding a bike. The bumper of the vehicle kissed the fire hydrant in front of the building. "Lovely", she mumbled.

Before long she was sitting on Ivy's couch drinking a cup of hot tea as Ivy cleaned Harley's wounds and gave her an ice pack for her head.

"Harl, when are you going to see that he's insane? You never know what he's going to do! All of this over a temporary dye job? You could have internal bleeding! He could kill you!"

"Listen Red, I knew he would react his way. That's why I did it."

Ivy was taken aback. "Have you lost it? Why on earth would you want him to do this?" She began applying a homemade salve to Harley's wounds.

"Because I had to get outta the house for a couple of days without him knowing what I was up to.", she said matter of factly. "I knew he wouldn't let me just come stay with you for the fun of it, but if he kicked me out then he wouldn't care where I was."

"Oh, and what are you up to exactly?"

"Listen, J is lookin' for a new right hand. Felix was good, but he got himself killed apparently by a man called Jonny Frost. J knows Jonny from somewhere, he didn't say how, but he wants him to work for us. He's had his moronic henchmen looking for a couple of days and they came up with nothin'. So I know that J is workin' with Eddie to snoop out some info on the guy. Oh and get this, Red! He's hired a HENCHWOMAN!" Harley's expression changed to one of disgust with crinkled eyebrows and barred teeth. "This chick who is basically all over him and he's gonna use _her_ to finally track down Jonny!" Harley took a deep breath and her expression became angry as she remembered that J would now be alone with Amber for a couple days.

"Okay, Harley-", Ivy let out a humorless chuckle. "This sounds ridiculous! Why are you getting involved in the clown's work anyway? Won't he be furious when he finds out what you've done?"

"I need to prove myself to him, Red! We were distant for so long I feel like I need to do something to show him how valuable I am. I need to do this!"

Ivy crossed her arms and shook her head. "I just can't understand your devotion to him. After everything he's done to you, you seem like you want him more and more."

Harley just blushed and rested her head against the side of the couch.

"Oh, I have something for you.", Ivy said, changing the subject. She grabbed an envelope from the bookshelf and sat down next to Harley on the couch. "So, I know you aren't supposed to have contact with Hope, but that doesn't mean that I can't. I met up with her yesterday."

"Really?", Harley perked up. It had only been over a week since she gave birth to Hannah, but it felt like the longest week of her life.

Ivy nodded. "I have pictures." She handed the envelope to Harley.

She ripped the envelope open to find about a dozen photos. Hannah already looked different than she did that first day, less blotchy, less swollen. She had cute bows around her head in just about every picture. One showed her getting a bath in a baby tub. Another showed her sound asleep in her crib. One was of Hope wearing a sling holding the baby. The last picture showed Hannah wearing what she recognized as a christening gown as Hope and Matthew held her.

"Wow." was all Harley could muster for a moment. "I guess a lot can change in a week, huh?"

"Are you okay, honey?", Ivy placed a hand on her shoulder.

Harley nodded as she flipped through the pictures again. For a moment she imagined that it was her in the pictures. An alternate universe where she never met The Joker, her skin remained flawless, she married someone like Matthew and was able to keep her beautiful baby girl, but thought of it all made just her feel sick.


End file.
